The Madwoman of Skyrim
by Ursinomancer
Summary: She never wanted to stay in Skyrim, but it seems that fate had other things in mind. Now Jun is stuck in a strange position between a plan and a deal, and she's not too happy about it. Follow her as she embarks on a journey that spans the land.
1. One Man's Junk Is Another Man's Treasure

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the game, but I do claim my storyline and my female character.

* * *

Sure, the Thieves Guild might have been down on their luck lately, but this year was going to be different. It was the beginning of a brand new century and everyone was looking forward to pulling the Guild out of their lingering pit fall. No scam or con was too low for them and with this ingenious new idea, they were about claw their way back to the top. Or at least that's what Rune had in mind. He had managed to litter the center of the Cistern with a mountain of odd looking hay with a heap of burlap sacks next to it. He was quietly stuffing the large sacks with hay when one of his so-called-friends entered the room.

"Are we having a bonfire or something? What's all this shit doing here?" Vipir the Fleet asked, having just returned from the Ragged Flagon with an ale in hand. Rune made a disgruntled face.

"It's the basis of my new sales pitch." He answered.

"I know I'm going to regret asking, but, what is it?"

"I'm glad you asked! This here is Bulking Hay! Guaranteed to increase your livestock's produce! Chickens will lay more eggs, and cows will give more milk! Works on goats too!" Rune replied in a more serious boisterous voice.

"You're joking right?"

"No! I would never joke about prices this good! For the fair price of sixty Septims per bag, they can be yours! But act now, and I'll give you two for only hundred!"

"You're ridiculous. I wouldn't even spend coin for the bags they're in," Vipir ribbed as he took a sip of his drink, "Oh, and I think you should be taken off stall duty. Brynjolf's better at it anyway." Rune looked devastated that his ploy didn't go over as he had hoped, but perhaps someone with more expertise would have a better opinion. He turned his attention to the far more knowledgeable thief deep in his thoughts.

"Bryn? Master of conning? What say you?" Brynjolf knew that the hay would never work on Riften's citizens, but it might hold them over until he finalized his own plan. So, the Nord glanced at his brother in-crime and swiftly put together an encouraging response,

"Oh, er, I like it lad. I truly do. It's just, I don't think our target audience will be as receptive as you want them to be. The idea is, um, creative though. And it looks nice too. What's in it?"

"I just gathered a ton of red, blue and purple mountain flowers, plucked the petals off and mixed them into the hay." Rune explained with a shrug.

"Wait. That's what you've been doing? Picking _flowers_?" Vipir scoffed as another thief made his way down the ladder and into the Cistern. That thief took one glance at the situation and instantly rained on Rune's parade.

"Get that out of here. Mercer's coming back tonight and when he sees that garbage, he's going to be pissed."

"But it's over 30 pounds of hay. How am I supposed to get rid of it?" Rune wondered, becoming more and more discouraged.

"The same way you got it in here." Cynric logically replied as he made his way over to the cook pit. Rune opened his mouth to complain some more, but stopped right as he saw the Guild Master himself enter the room.

Everyone stood in silence waiting to see what their leader's reaction would be. Mercer Frey gave them no acknowledgment and continued to his desk. He sat down, glancing over some paperwork. He then looked up with a scowl and replied,

"I want that mess cleaned up by tonight, or I will be withholding _all_ of your jobs indefinitely."

"All of us?" Vipir asked with disbelief.

"Did I stutter?"

"Wait, don't you want to hear my plan?" Rune asked with his last chance of hope.

"No. Now get to work. All of you," Mercer promptly shot down, returning to his papers. The rest of the thieves held in their disappointment and started towards the center of the room, when all of a sudden a body fell from the Cistern ceiling and onto the pile of hay face first. They all quickly glanced at Mercer to see what his response would be. And without looking up from his papers he gave them his orders, "I want that disposed of as well."

"Aw man, it's bad enough business is non existent, but now people are dumping bodies down here? Where's the respect?" Vipir complained as he started to stuff the bags.

"Seriously. My hay is what we need to turn the guild around," Rune murmured as he and Cynric joined in on the cleaning up. Brynjolf knelt down and examined the body. He noticed that the victim was a foul-smelling, dirty scrawny female with a wild mass of hair. There also happened to be some sort of dagger stuck in one of her shoulder blades, perhaps the means of her death. Brynjolf turned the body on its side.

"Aw, poor thing. Looks like she had a hard life." He commented sympathetically, eyes lingering on her shoulder.

"Gross. She reeks so bad. I bet she could give the beggars a run for their pocket lint." Vipir grimaced.

"Heh, says the guy who bathes once a year?" Cynric pointed out.

"Whatever, who bathes on a monthly basis? What are you? High king?" Brynjolf just rolled his eyes and prepared himself to lift the body off the ground,

"I'll go sneak this into the Hall of the Dead. Be back in a flash." He picked her up, but immediately dropped her when he felt her breathe out.

"Whoa! She's alive! Mercer!?" Brynjolf exclaimed, startling his comrades.

"That changes nothing. Dump her outside." Mercer grumbled from behind his desk.

"We can't do that!"

"You can, and you will."

"Come on Mercer. She needs our help. What if she dies?"

"I do not care," the Guild Master stated coldly, "We are not a charity. But since you are _so_ concerned, how about you drop her off at the Temple? They like that kind of thing." The more compassionate thief just shook his head, and tried to appeal to his superior, "No. We can't just abandon her. That's not right."

"You are trying my patience Brynjolf. This person may have landed in our hands, but that does not automatically make her _our_ responsibility. I do not want her here meddling in our business and mucking it all up. So get her out of here."

"Aren't you just a wee bit curious about her?" Brynjolf tried one last attempt.

"No. And I am done discussing this," Mercer declared as he stood up, "I need to tend to more important matters at hand, and I already gave you my orders. I expect them to be completed by the time I return, or there will be hell to pay." He then exited the room without another word.

Once Mercer's ominous presence was gone, Brynjolf picked up the wounded woman, strolled over to an empty bed and set her down.

"Are you seriously defying Mercer's orders?" Vipir asked very concerned.

"He was just in a bad mood. I don't think he was serious." Cynric speculated as he tossed another full bag off to the side.

"I dunno. He sounded pretty serious to me." Rune replied nervously.

"Don't worry lads. It'll all be on me if it goes south. You guys just continue to work on that mountain." Brynjolf comforted. He then gave a wake-up call to a fellow member,

"Thrynn! I need you over here!" The blond man a few beds over slowly rose, and wearily replied,

"Hmm? What're you hollering about? What the heck is that mess?"

"Forget that. I need your expertise on knife wounds." Brynjolf demanded as Thrynn shuffled his way over.

"Did someone finally shank ya? Good." The tired man commented with a smile.

"Not me. Her. What should we do?"

"Well, obvious thing first. We need to get that dagger out. But afterward, it doesn't really matter. I could sew her up, or get a hold of some healing potions." the former Bandit explained.

"Which is better?" Brynjolf inquired. The other thief just shrugged and pulled out a coin.

"Heads, I sew'er up. Tails, I brew something." He stated before flipping the Septim in the air. Brynjolf snatched it out of the air and quickly scorned him,

"Be serious. She could be dying."

"Nah. Look, she wasn't stabbed anywhere essential. The worst that could happen would be losing an arm." Thrynn said rather calmly.

"Right. How about you stitch her up, _and_ heal her?" Brynjolf suggested.

"Oh yeah. That'd work too. Let me gather some things right quick." Thrynn then hurried off to gather what he needed. Brynjolf turned the young woman onto her side again and gently removed her hide top. The younger thief returned with some supplies and gave her a quick look over. Besides the dried blood, it actually didn't look too bad. It looked like a relatively clean stab. He then firmly grasped the handle, and yanked it out.

"There. Hmm, Orchish? Not too shabby." Thrynn commented as he handed it over to his friend. Then he started to clean the wound. Brynjolf cleaned the dagger off with a rag and noticed that it had random engraved marks along the blade.

"So, who is she?" Thrynn wondered as he started to stitch his patient back together again.

"Dunno."

"Figures. So you're playing knight in shiny leather? Or did you fall for a pretty face again?" Brynjolf sighed and instinctively pocketed the knife.

"I'm just doing what I'd want others to do for me."

"Right. How'd you guys meet again?" Thrynn asked as he reached into her pockets and pulled out a folded piece of paper, and a pouch of silver ores.

"Someone threw her down the well and she landed on Rune's mess."

"Huh, that's a new one. I wonder who she pissed off."

"What do you mean?"

"They left her belongings. This wasn't a robbery, I think it might have been personal." The former bandit speculated.

"Is it possible that it was a botched hit?"

"Assassins in Riften? I seriously doubt it. Maybe she saw something she wasn't supposed to see."

"I guess anything's possible. I hope she wakes up soon, then we can figure it out." Brynjolf noted.

"Well, I'm not sure when that's gonna be," Thrynn admitted as he gathered up his materials, "but be sure to give me an update when I get back."

"Where you off to?"

"Sorry. There are some heads that need busting way up in Windhelm today, so I need to start preparing for that. Oh, but when she wakes up. Give her some of this, should help with any pains she'll be having." Thrynn advised, leaving behind a small red bottle.

"Ah alright then. Thanks for all your help lad. Really appreciate it." Brynjolf thanked with a nod.

"No prob. Good luck with mystery girl." answered Thrynn before he headed off to the cooking spit. Rune then came over, and awkwardly said,

"Hey Bryn. Can you be on stall duty today? I think it'll take me all day to clean up all this, and I don't really want Mercer to be even more mad than he already is when he comes back." Brynjolf glanced at the still unconscious girl, and then reluctantly answered,

"Yes, I guess it'd be in my favor to get on his good side...do you know what happened to my Butterfly Extracts?"

"I moved them over to the training room to make room for my stuff."

"Okay. Can you guys watch over her until I get back?" Brynjolf may have asked it, but it sounded more like an order. Vipir quickly volunteered because he was tired of helping Rune,"Oh! I'll do it! I don't have any jobs today."

"Good. I do. See you chumps later." Cynric hastily went over to join Thrynn.

"Just keep her in the corner of your eyes at all times," Brynjolf warned. "We don't know who she is, or what she can do. And when she wakes up, let her have that potion."

"Puh. Easy enough." Vipir scoffed.

"Er, are you sure this is a good idea? Leaving us with a half dead person, who could potentially kill us, or curse us, or worse?" Rune asked sounding overly cautious.

"Who are you, Delvin? Stop being paranoid. I bet she's just a beggar. We can definitely handle that." Vipir added without any dismay.

"She shouldn't be much trouble," Brynjolf reassured "And I'll return by this evening. Good luck boys, don't let me down." He left with warm smile and went to go prepare for his long day.

* * *

Story Notes: Although there is only one well in Riften, both the Ragged Flagon and it's Cistern have that open ceiling. So for my purposes, the Cistern is located directly beneath that main well.

A/N: Thanks to all who read my story. The next chapter will be released in a week. Also, a huge thanks to my beta, who makes me seem like a far more competent writer than I really am. :)


	2. Lost then Found

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the game, but I do claim my storyline and my female character.

* * *

Despite the strange event that disturbed their regular schedule, the rest of the thieves' morning went about at usual. The lucky thieves that managed to get some work left in a hurry, and those who hadn't stayed in the Cistern. When noon finally arrived, Rune had finished bagging all the hay, and began to secretly move all of them into the Ragged Flagon's pantry. He saw no point in throwing all of it away, especially if Mercer might change his mind...

"Hey, shouldn't you be helping me?" Rune directed towards Vipir.

"No. Brynjolf is making me babysit." Vipir answered crossing his arms.

"You've been watching her sleep for four hours, don't you find that creepy?"

"No. I put her armor back on. Oh, and I'm pretty sure she's in a coma. So, it means it's not creepy."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Shut up and get back to work you pack mule," Vipir said gesturing him to continue his work. Rune shook his head, threw a few bags upon his shoulders and exited the room with a loud slam. And that echoing noise caused the seemingly comatose woman to finally rise up.

She tilted her head and groaned,

"Ugh, Namira's Rot, my head...I feel like a horse kicked me in the neck..."

"Hey, you're awake." Vipir commented as he walked over to her.

"Am I dead?"

"No."

"Pity." She groggily replied.

"Here try some of this." Vipir uncorked the special red bottle and handed it to her. She drank it without hesitation, and gave a look of amazement.

"Oh. It's not poison?" Vipir wasn't sure how to react to his guest's strange behavior and decided to change the subject.

"No, do you know how you got here?"

"Drank too much, lost a fight, got stabbed? That sound about right?" The woman bluntly answered as she grabbed her things off the side table, and returned them to her pockets.

"I think so. Um, why did you get stabbed?"

"Where's my knife?"

"...Uh, I'm not really sure. I wasn't really paying attention."

"Hmm, okay. I guess there's no need to stay here then if you can't help me." She commented as she stood up. Vipir quickly stood up as well and tried to get here to stay.

"Oh hey wait. You can't leave. You need to stay here."

"Why?"

"Er, I don't know. I was just told to keep an eye on you."

"Thanks. But no thanks. I need to find my things, get back on the road again, and get out of Skyrim," The shorter dark haired woman replied as she side-stepped around the confused thief.

"Are you worried they'll find you again?"

"It's not them I'm worried about. They're idiots-well actually, I don't know who's worse, me letting them get the jump on me again? Or them not being able to kill a simpleton like me." She said starkly.

"Huh, they do sound pretty bad..." Vipir added, trying to stall her.

"They have to be the worst sell-swords ever. But that's not really surprising, the guy who sent them is a jackass too."

"Who?"

"No one. Um, I appreciate of you saving me. Here take this," she responded as handed him a small silver ore, "now how do I get out of here?"

"I'm serious. I can't let you leave." Vipir explained as he stood in her way again. The woman bit her lip and reluctantly said,

"Well then, I'm sorry I have to do this." She quickly brought her hands together and discharged mass of pale green energy at her opponent. Vipir just stood there at ease, completely ignoring her. Suddenly, a door opened, and the rooms was filled with a loud voice. The woman immediately dropped to the floor next to the bed, hoping not to be seen by the speaker.

"Hey Vipir! I was thinking, you should definitely be helping me because Mercer told all of us to clean up, and that includes you!...Hey! Snowberries! I'm talking to you!" The woman took a peek from under the bed to see where this loud man came from. She stretched her hand out underneath the bed and produced a glowing blue ball which silently transformed into a blue skeever. The semi-transparent familiar then darted towards a smaller corridor off to the side.

"Divines! A ghost skeever!? Vipir, are you seeing this!? Ah, forget you!" Rune shouted as he followed the apparition out of the room.

"Oh damn. That was probably my exit..." The woman mumbled to herself as she got up. She hastily brought her hand up and created a royal blue energy that in return, showed multiple red and blue glowing flares where her potential exit was. She then exchanged the royal blue energy for a pale blue one and discharged in onto the floor. It created a smoke-like tube and winded towards a ladder. She made a mad dash to it, and climbed her way out.

A few seconds later Vipir's condition returned to normal and he quickly mirrored her actions. But once he got to the graveyard, the mysterious woman was no where to be found. He stood there confounded and asked himself,

"...Huh, I wonder what's worse. Pissing off Mercer, or Brynjolf?"

* * *

Down in the Cistern, Rune had just realized that both Vipir and the lady he was supposed to be watching were gone.

"Oh no. This is not good," Rune stressed as he walked back into the Ragged Flagon for help, "Hey guys, you didn't happen to see a girl run through here, did you?" The barkeep shook his head and a much older thief gave him a strange look and answered,

"Nope. But I bet you're used to girls running from you, aren't ya?"

"I can't believe lost her. She was right there a minute ago..."

"Who-no wait, how?"

"I got distracted by a giant skeever, and chased it, and when I came back, she was gone!" Rune pathetically explained.

"Are you drunk?" The buzz cut thief asked.

"Be serious."

"I am. So who's this girl who's making you all fussy?" Delvin wondered.

"Um, don't know," the much younger thief admitted, "Bryn's real interested in her though."

"Word of advice and sensibility: don't be chasing after girls he's got a claim on. It's only gonna end badly for you."

"Oh man, he's gonna be so mad when he finds out!" Rune exclaimed growing more helpless.

"That's what you get though. You should know better." Rune just sat down defeated and waited on pins and needles until Brynjolf's return.

* * *

The Ragged Flagon and it's Cistern were back to normal when nightfall crept upon it. Most of the thieves had returned to their humble home and were either getting some much needed sleep, or attempting to drink themselves to sleep. One of those thieves being Cynric Endell. He lazily pulled a chair up to the table occupied by Niruin, and a rather drunk Delvin. He then asked the question of the day,

"So, I assume you have all heard the news of Brynjolf's new pet running off?" His fellow elvish friend choked on his drink, and confusedly replied,

"Wait? He got a new pet? When did this happen?"

"This morning. For both questions."

"Huh, and he already lost it?" Niruin almost sounded disappointed.

"Hold it, who're we talking 'bout? How'd he lose her?" Delvin added as he worked on his fourth ale.

"Because I left two idiots in charge of watching over her." Brynjolf replied as he entered the bar.

"Why do you even want her? It's not one of your 'gut feelings' again, is it?" Niruin asked suspiciously.

The red headed Nord sighed, "I really think she'd be a good addition to our little family."

"Pfft. You think everyone should be part of the Guild," Niruin scoffed, "I'm still surprised you haven't recruited Edda yet."

"I'm serious. I have a strong feeling about this one."

"Like the feeling that this girl ain't nothing but trouble? She's obviously on the run from something, and it's probably something we don't want to get involved in." Vipir assumed.

"That might be true. But my gut says she might be useful to us." Brynjolf restated, attempting to convince them.

"Maybe? Eh, I think your sixth sense needs some major fine tuning mate." Delvin put out.

"Puh, says the guy who thinks we're cursed?" Cynric scoffed at his least favorite co-worker.

"We are! What else could be to blame!?"

"Gee I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that we're a dying business, or that we've extorted this town for all it's worth, or that our reputation's gone to shit, or maybe it _is_ just bad luck." The more pessimistic thief listed off.

"Ouch lad. Aren't you a pocket full of sunshine and not at all helpful." Brynjolf replied feeling his normally optimistic spirit drop.

"I'm just being realistic." Cynric shrugged.

"More like cynical—oh! Bad luck counts as a curse!" The superstitious man realized.

"No it doesn't. Bad luck is a random misfortune. No one can curse you with it."

"Oh yes they can," Delvin continued, "and they did it to the whole lot of us." Cynric grew increasingly irritated and responded,

"No, they didn't. And if you keep telling people that, I'm going to send an arrow through your head."

"Oh yeah? Let's settle this then!" The much older Breton shouted as he tackled the younger Breton to the floor. The rest of the thieves cheered them on, but Brynjolf just rolled his eyes. Sometimes his friends acted like such children, and they were about as useful too. He stepped back from the pair of wrestling men and asked one final question before deciding to leave,

"Well I'm off to go see where she went. She didn't happen to mention any place in particular, did she?" The thieves thought for a second until Vipir broke the silence,

"The girl smelt like mead and piss. So either Beggar's Row or the Bee and Barb will do it for you." Brynjolf gave a nod, said his goodbyes and left.

* * *

After Brynjolf changed into some more socially acceptable duds, he went off to check Beggar's Row. However, he was met with disappointment when he found out she hadn't been there, but he still had hope and quickly visited the town's Inn. As he passed through the doors, he gave a quiet sigh of relief.

He saw the strange woman sitting at a table engaged in a card game. She appeared to be playing some sort of betting game, because the center of the table was littered with miscellaneous items. Brynjolf was careful to not draw attention to himself as he sat down a few tables over behind her. He then started to inconspicuously reevaluate her.

He noticed she was much cleaner, both skin and armor, and that her hair seemed to be somewhat tamed now. She also had a knapsack and a bedroll underneath her chair. And to make matters more inexplicable, Brynjolf just noticed that she was carrying a pickaxe on her back. The thief then spent a few minutes trying to piece together what everything meant, but was brought out of his brainstorming by the bickering of raspy female voice and a self-assured female.

"Are you mentally challenged? If I didn't accept these an hour ago, what makes you think I'll accept them now?" Keerava, the less than friendly Inn-keeper stated.

"Why not? They're easily worth fifty times as much as your asking." The mysterious woman asked gesturing towards the small pile of gold ores on the counter.

"But I want coins, not stupid rocks."

"Woman, these are gold ores." The woman pointed out, "and they're all I can give you." The Argonian shook her head and stood her ground,

"Then you'll have to go sleep outside then."

"But it's going to rain soon." The woman whined.

"What do I look like, a charity? Go somewhere else to use them, because I ain't buying." Brynjolf saw his window of opportunity, and smoothly interjected himself into this conflict,

"Now Keerava, surely you can be lenient for the lass? She's obviously a foreigner and not from around here." He finished with a grin that could melt most hearts, well, most hearts. The Inn-keeper just gave him a cold stare and rasped,

"Pah, so was I. But I didn't get any rules bent for me." Without skipping a beat, Brynjolf place a pouch of coins on the counter.

"Fine. Will this cover what she wants?"

Keerava glanced back at the slightly confused woman and commented,

"Hmm. Shoulda figured you were bad news. Twenty for you. And I'll be charging both you ten more if anything's missing."

"What are you talking about?" The woman asked slightly offended.

"Never mind. What's your name?"

"Mora, um Tapinella." Keerava rolled her eyes and scribbled both their names in her book.

"Cute. Here you go. Upstairs, second left." She spat out as she handed over the key. The odd woman pocketed the key,

grabbed the three gold ores and attempted to give them to the gentleman with the strange accent. Brynjolf held up his hand and politely declined,

"Nah. I don't have any use for those either." She nodded and returned them to their pouch.

"Alright, thanks for that. Um, forgive me, but have we even met before?" The stranger asked.

"Not officially. Name's Brynjolf," he replied with a warm smile and an outstretched hand. "Would you be offended if I didn't believe your name was 'Mora Tapinella?'"

"Oh, of course not." She replied as she took his hand, "but I would be offended if I was not allowed to use my obvious moniker."

"Nonsense, your secret is safe with me. Now, if you don't mind, would it be possible if we had a little chat upstairs?"

"Eh, I'm kind of tired. I'd rather sleep." The woman said dismissively.

"But I really would like to talk to you some more. I'll make it quick, promise." Brynjolf asked with a some clever desperation near the end. The woman thought for a second and gave him the reply he wanted,

"Hmm, I guess I do owe you...All right, but if you try anything, I'll make you regret it." She then picked up her effects and walked towards the stairs. Brynjolf made a small mental note that the woman moved silently over the normally creaky stairs. He gave a content smile and began to brainstorm on ways to butter her over.

* * *

Notes: Summon Familiar typically spawns a wolf spectre in game, but I don't see what would stop someone from conjuring any simple animal.

For clarification the spells used were Pacify, Conjure Familiar, Detect Life and Clairvoyance.

A/N: Thanks again to my great beta who is more grammatically correct than I am. Updates will be every Monday.


	3. For Undisclosed Reasons

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the game, but I do claim my storyline and my female character.

* * *

The unassociated couple found their way to one of the upstairs bedrooms. The woman entered with her key and set her belongings on the ground as the older man sat down at the corner table. She then sat down on the bed and continued their conversation from downstairs, "So, mister Brynjolf..."

"No need for the formalities lass, makes me feel old," he said charmingly. "Perhaps I could interest you in some dinner?" Brynjolf had noticed she was rather skinny, perhaps even starved.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," she stated. "What's so important that we couldn't discuss it in the morning?"

"Ah, straight to business then? I have a few questions for you, as well as a proposition."

"I should warn you, I'm not really one for commitments. But, go ahead." Brynjolf nodded, and made his voice more gentle,

"First, I just want you to know that I'm here on peaceful terms, I'm not here to fight..." The woman acknowledged it with a nod. "And with that, I'd like to know what you did to my friends."

"The ones from this morning?" The dark haired woman confirmed.

"Yes. You, um," The silver-tongued thief paused trying to find a better word than escape. "You managed to evade them. That doesn't happen very often."

"I just did a calming spell. Nothing permanent, it should have worn off after I got outside. Oh, and the skeever? It was just a conjuration, also short lived." She reassured unaffected by his selective wording.

"Your familiar is a skeever?" Brynjolf asked trying not to sound insulting.

"No. I can conjure up random animals, but a skeever seemed to suit the atmosphere the best." She aimed a glowing hand at the ground, and released a mudcrab. Brynjolf just stared at it, he'd never seen something like that before. The woman waved her hand, and the crab dissipated.

"Alright, one last question. How did you outrun Vipir?"

"Is he supposed to be really fast or something?"

"He does call himself the Fleet."

"Although I fancy myself a runner too, I just walked away." She shrugged.

"Er, what?" Brynjolf let his confusion surface. The woman smiled and revealed her secret: she brought her hands together to form an indigo energy and in a blink of an eye...disappeared. The master thief grinned, he knew his gut feeling had been right all long.

"Lass, are you still there?"

"Indeed." She reappeared in front of him as she waved the spell off.

"That's great. I think with those talents you could be quite useful to my organization." The man tried his appeal.

"Eh. No thanks," the woman declined, "I'm actually on my way out of here. I just have to do a few things before I leave."

"Aw, like what?" Brynjolf pouted as he returned to his despairing tone. She gave him a small smile.

"It's stupid really, and I don't even know why I bother..."

"Would you mind telling me? Perhaps I can be of assistance?" He asked as helplessly as he could.

"Hmm, you're oddly nice for a stranger. Anyway, I lost this family heirloom and for some reason beyond me, I don't want to leave Skyrim without it."

"What is it?" The seasoned thief genuinely inquired.

"It's a dagger. It has these hatch marks on the blade, but other than that, it's pretty plain." She explained with a shrug. Brynjolf kept any type of surprise from showing up on his face as he heard the description. He then decided to fish some information out of his mark,

"Do you know how you lost it?"

"Uh, that whole night was sort of a blur. I was busy drowning my sorrows when I ran into some old friends, and then it all goes black from there. And then I woke up in the sewer system, not a good way to end your night, I tell you..." She sheepishly answered. The gears in Brynjolf's head hadn't stopped cranking from the minute he arrived at the inn. He was trying too find the perfect excuse to hook her, and he couldn't help but grin when he thought of it.

"Well lass, I think I can be of service. My co-workers and I happen to be very good at finding things, you just have to hire us."

"Thieves, I presume?" She didn't sound stunned in the least.

"Or people that acquire items of interest."

"Mmhmm. I thought the I heard the guards mention a Guild...So, what do you want from me besides money?"

"I'd like you to help me with something I've been working on." Brynjolf vaguely countered. He actually did have something huge planned, but figured it'd be best not to overwhelm her. She made a face and rejected the Nord's offer.

"Besides mining, I don't really have any real valuable skills."

"Nonsense, invisibility and distractions are quite useful. And I noticed as we were walking up the stairs, you move rather quietly."

"I learned to how to be quiet, it's not really anything important." She hand waved his revelation.

"I beg to differ. So, here's my offer: you help me, and I'll help you find your dagger. Free of charge." Brynjolf stated, seeing that he was losing her interest.

"I'm still not sure, being a thief is pretty risky. And I really would prefer not to go prison."

"I understand, but if you're trying to get out of Skyrim, surely you could use some coin once you cross borders. You can only get so far with those ores." The man pointed out.

"That's true. But if I join you, you better not use me as some scapegoat and get me arrested." The stranger stated.

"Of course not. Once you're one of us, you're family." Brynjolf confirmed.

"Hmm...Deal. But once I get it my dagger back, I want out." The woman set her rules.

"Of course. I'm glad we could come to an agreement. When you're ready, make your way down to the Ratway and find the Ragged Flagon. I'll be waiting for you." Brynjolf clearly instructed.

"Why can't I just come in through the graveyard?" The woman's comment caught the usually prepared thief off guard, but he rapidly regained his normal demeanor.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot you've seen the Cistern already. Um, you can. Just make sure no one sees you use it, alright? Oh, and please _do not_ arrive drunk. Mercer won't take me or you seriously." She just nodded and walked back to the bed.

"Well, I'm tired, I've had a really long day. So I'm retiring for the night, but I'll hire you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan. Would you like me to stay? In case your friends return?" Brynjolf offered, after hearing what Vipir said he was sure her 'friends' weren't actually friends at all. Jun just hand waved his kindness.

"Oh, pssh. They're probably back home by now. But you can stay if you like, since you did pay for the room."

"What would you like? Oh-lass! What are you doing!?" Brynjolf glanced over at her, but quickly looked away when he saw begin to strip off her armor.

"Don't be such a prude. It's just undergarments." She made a face as she climbed into bed.

"I wasn't sure, some women are very sensitive about who sees them in the position." The flustered Nord man said defensively, rearranging himself in the chair.

"Not me. Maybe you should go if I'm making you uncomfortable." The woman suggested as she closed her eyes.

"Actually, I'd prefer to stay and talk with you. Maybe get to know you a little better?"

"You sure like to talk a lot."

"I'm interested in you. The way we met was very unforgettable."

"Hmm. True." The woman agreed, still not opening her eyes, "Okay, if I tell you some things about me, will you return the favor with some of yours?" Brynjolf gave a sigh of relief, he was finally getting her to open up.

"Aye. Can we start with your name? It's not really Mora is it?

"Does it really matter?" The woman inquired.

"Your name holds no weight on how I perceive you. But I am curious to know your name, since we are like business partners now."

"It's Jun, like as in Juniper." She lazily replied.

"That's a nice name." Brynjolf didn't believe her, but he figured he could try getting her real name once she trusted him more. He smoothly moved onto a new subject that intrigued him,

"Would it be safe to assume you're a gold miner, or once were?"

"Nope. I specialize in silver. I can sniff out a silver vein like no other."

"Really? But you were trying to barter with gold ores."

"Yeah, that's because she wouldn't accept the silver ones earlier. Look in my bag, hand me a silver ore." Brynjolf did as the woman asked and set it in her palm. Jun was still resting her eyes, but she closed her fist and enveloped the silver ore in a strange green force. When she opened her hand, a gold ore lay in her palm.

"Here. A gift," she announced sounding very bored. The man smiled and pocketed the ore and continued with his list of questions.

"You're a woman of many surprises. Where did you learn all of your magic skills?"

"My mother. She would have preferred that I went down the destructive path, but in the end, she taught me 'the lesser' ways."

"I see. Are you still a miner too?"

"No. My father, my brother and I have all had a turn in the mines. But not anymore." She eagerly brushed off.

"You don't sound to happy about that." Brynjolf commented gently. He was wanted to get as much information out of her as he could.

"I never felt it was the right thing for me. I didn't mind it at first, but after doing that for so long, I figured there is something better out there for me...So I left, and haven't looked back since."

"Ah fair enough. Are you happy with your decision?"

"Not yet. But it was necessary to leave, so I'm trying to accept that...um, but what about you? Got any family here?" She asked as she shifted around on the bed. Brynjolf paused for a second to figure out which story would work best on her and then continued,

"My birth family are long gone. But it's my current family that keeps me going anyway. I would do anything for them."

"Hmm, that must be nice." The woman's remark made the thief wonder what her family situation must be like.

"It is. Sure, we may squabble over ridiculous things, but at the end of the night, we are all we have. It's a lot easier to survive when you know someone has your back. Skyrim can be a harsh place to it's inhabitants." Brynjolf explained while subtly trying to promote the Guild.

"That it is. Which is why I'd like to leave." Jun agreed, but not in the way the Nord wanted.

"Yeah? You don't want to stay?"

"There's nothing here for me, and nothing good will come out of it if I stay." She wearily admitted.

"And why's that?"

"Eh, a story for some other time..." She yawned, "I'm going to bed now, you may do what you want though."

"Alright, I appreciate you opening up to me. It means a lot." Brynjolf nodded as he stood up.

"My mother says I'm too trusting. I think she may be right," Jun turned on her side. "Good night." She added before retiring for the evening.

"Night, lass." The older thief then quietly snuck out of her room and returned to his home as the sky began to sprinkle. There was one last thing on his list he had to do in order for his whole plan to work, and that was to convince Mercer to let her into the Guild. A daunting task to say the least, even for someone as persuasive as Brynjolf.

Luckily for the Guild Master, he was immune to any and all of Brynjolf's 'charm'. But Mercer still had to sit at his desk and listen to Brynjolf's unsuccessful attempts to convince him to let in this 'exceptionally talented girl' amongst their ranks.

"Come on Mercer, she could be the one that helps us get back on our feet. Oh, and don't worry about trying to get her to accept because, er, technically she owes us for rescuing her." Brynjolf presented. Mercer was not impressed or convinced,

"You are getting worse at lying. I do not want her here. We have enough troubles as it is."

"Yeah, but she's the one that can help me with my guild saving plan."

"Brynjolf, you are going to drive me insane. That plan is never going to work, there are too many inconsistencies, and the risks outweigh the profits by a landslide. And if none of your fellow veteran thieves cannot assist you with it, what makes you think this random street girl can?"

"I _know_ she has what it takes to be one of us. I can feel it." The Nord simply replied. Brynjolf wasn't sure if revealing Jun's magical talents this early would be a good idea or not.

"You said that about the last three fledglings. They all gave you that 'gut feeling' too." The Breton grumbled.

"They did." The lesser thief confirmed. Mercer furrowed his brows, and began to count off on his fingers just how bad the last recruits were,

"The first was jailed indefinitely, the second managed to get his hand stuck in a bear trap, and the last one tried to pickpocket me while he was standing _in front_ of me... I am beginning to think you are not the proper choice for a recruiter."

"You might be right, but you should at least let me have this one last try with her. If it doesn't work out, I'll stop trying to save my family for good." The red-head replied seriously.

"No. There are other ways of impressing this random woman besides offering her a membership into our society." Mercer said flatly. Brynjolf swallowed and pulled out his last ploy, he just hoped the Guild Master wouldn't stab him right then and there.

"Well...I say you owe me. That favor? I want to use it on her." Brynjolf was referring to that time he had to fill in for Mercer, and deal with the vile woman, Maven. Mercer in return had absentmindedly offered him a future favor, and now he was definitely regretting it.

The Guild Master looked understandably pissed but gave an alarmingly calm response,

"If she turns on us. I will, have. Your. Head. Understood?" Brynjolf slightly nodded and countered,

"Yes. And I'll be sure to steal a plaque so you'll have a place to put it."

"She does not get the official armor until I say so." Mercer ordered, reinstating his authority.

"You don't want her representing us?"

"I find it highly unlikely that she will make it past the first week." The shorter man wisely speculated.

"Aw, you should be more supportive. It wouldn't hurt, you know."

"Brynjolf, I suggest you leave me alone for the next several hours, unless you want _me_ to hurt _you._" Mercer coolly responded.

The Nord gave a thankful nod and walked off before he disturbed his leader even more. He quietly gave himself a pat on the back as he wandered into the Ragged Flagon to spend the rest of his evening. Everything was falling into place. Perhaps saving the Guild wasn't as impossible as he once thought.

* * *

Spells used: Conjure Familiar, Transmute

A/N: Thanks again to all you readers out there, and of course, my beta. I'll see you in a week. Have a nice week until then. :)


	4. Male Bonding

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the game, but I do claim my storyline and Jun.

* * *

The next day couldn't come any quicker for Brynjolf, for he was up at the crack of dawn ready to await his sponsored guest's arrival. However, he was met with a feeling of increasing discontent as the day slowly meandered on by and the woman was nowhere to be seen. It was mid afternoon when the very restless Nord's waiting game was interrupted by a familiar grinding sound from the Thieves Guild secret entrance. Brynjolf jumped to his feet, but was letdown when he saw it was just a fellow Guild member, Thrynn.

"Good afternoon Brynjolf." He greeted with a nod.

"Hey lad." The Nord replied, not hiding his disappointment very well.

"Huh, must be real bad if it's got you down. Wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe later. Was your job was successful?"

"Yup, there's no problem that a few broken bones can't fix." The thief confirmed casually.

"Mmhmm."

"Oh hey, what happened with that girl?" He asked when he noticed she was gone.

"Not sure. She's supposed to come today, but she hasn't shown." Brynjolf explained.

"Well, the day's not over yet. Give her a few more hours, she'll show." Thrynn comforted with a smile.

"You think so?"

"Of course. What woman can resist your roguish charm and that silly accent?" Brynjolf was about to argue, but he stopped when he heard that terrible scratching sound. The thieves attentively watched the entrance as the encumbered woman made her way down the ladder. Brynjolf quickly went over to her and gave her a warm greeting.

"Jun! Welcome, I was beginning to worry you weren't coming."

"Puh, starting too?" Thrynn teased. Brynjolf ignored that remark and brought her over to him.

"May I ask what kept you?" Brynjolf wondered. But was interrupted by the Guild Master's barking voice,

"Brynjolf! My desk! Now!" The red-head Nord looked nervous, but quickly gave one last order before he left.

"Go find Cynric, he'll know what to do. I'll be back in a second." Then he walked over to Mercer's desk. The former bandit looked at the dark haired woman and offered to take her things.

"Hey let me take those off your hands, I'll set them by my bed. Name's Thrynn by the way." The dark haired woman handed over her things and followed him.

"Thanks. I'm Jun." The thief was going to ask her why she was late, but Mercer had started to yell at Brynjolf.

"Uh, let's take this somewhere else. You don't want to hear this." Thrynn advised, guiding the guest through the Ragged Flagon's door. He lead her over to the bar, and sat down.

"Vekel, two meads, please." The blond Nord requested as he set a few coins on the counter. The bartender gave a nod, opened two bottles and set them on the table within reach.

"Is this your new lady?" He inquired.

"Nah. Brynjolf's. This here is Jun. Jun Vekel, Vekel Jun," Thrynn corrected before taking a drink. Jun remained quiet, and turned around on her seat to take in the atmosphere. The poorly lit, dreary environment reminded her of the mine. That made her feel uneasy. While she was busy contemplating what she had gotten herself into, a hooded thief came up to her.

"You're the one Bryn has been raving about?" He asked as he looked her over.

"I believe so." The woman answered. He pulled down his hood and put a hand out towards her.

"I'm Cynric."

She gently shook it and replied, "Jun." He then turned around and gave a shout to his fellow brethren,

"Hey! Get off your asses and line up! I only want to do this once." Quickly a small crowd of men and one woman congregated before her. She gave them an awkward smile, and the Bosmer was the first to speak.

"So, this is Brynjolf's pet-Ow! Er, friend?" Niruin started to say, but Cynric sharply elbowed some sense into him.

"Manners. We have a guest present," Cynric scorned him, "Everyone this is Jun." He then pointed to the rest of them as he gave short and sweet introductions for them, "The man older than a draugr is Delvin. The kid is Rune. Niruin's the elf. Tonilia is the girl. The stupid mean one is Dirge, and the stupid stupid one is Vipir." Everyone gave a nod or a wave and then returned to their posts. Jun just smiled, that was a lot of names and faces she needed to remember.

"As you were then." Cynric gave a slight bow before returning to his own seat. Thrynn had finished his bottle and turned to her.

"So you one of us eh? That's nice. We could probably use the help." He socialized.

"Well, I'm not officially one of you guys. I have a deal with Brynjolf." She admitted nudging her bottle of mead towards him.

"Ha, he is like the unofficial recruiter. How'd he convince you?" He picked the bottle up and took a swig.

"I help him, and he helps me find me knife."

"Your knife? What does it look–?"

"Thrynn! Get over here now!" Brynjolf yelled as he stood near the 'cabinet door'. Thrynn plopped off his seat and wandered over to his superior. As he got up, Cynric sat next to the new recruit and started to chat her up.

"Geez. You startled me. Are you okay?" Thrynn asked rather confused.

"You can't tell her about her dagger! We need her and that's our only leverage!" Brynjolf rushed in a very subdued voice.

"Huh, slow down Bryn, start at the beginning. What dagger?"

"The one we found on her that night we met."

"You mean the one _in_ her?" Thrynn corrected.

"Yes. I accidentally took it, but she doesn't know that. So we made a deal were she aids us with our work, and in return, I'll help her find her lost dagger." The devious Nord explained.

"Uh, no disrespect, but this has to be the worst cons you've ever pulled."

"I know it's bad, but I know she can be of great use to us, but without anything to keep her here, she would just leave."

"How much did I miss when I was gone? Why do you want her? Is she a thief?" The former bandit asked trying to keep up with Brynjolf's crazy scheme.

"No. But she was able to escape Rune and Vipir."

"That's because they're idiots."

"Just trust me lad, she's the one who came bring us out of our slump."

"Okay. So, how are you going to keep this a secret? You'll have to tell everyone except her." Thrynn pointed out.

"I'm aware. I'll do that later. But for now, promise me that you'll keep silent about this."

"Alright. But, you'll tell her the truth eventually, right?" Brynjolf nodded,

"Yes, I just need to take one thing at a time."

* * *

While that conversation took place, another one was also in the works. This one happening between the seasoned lockpicker and the newest unofficial member. Cynric had even asked Vekel to give them some privacy before he made his move.

"So, how long were you in for?" Cynric casually said once the barkeep was gone.

"What?" Jun was surprised by the accusation.

"Don't try to hide it. I know an ex-prisoner when I see one."

"You're out of your mind, and being somewhat offensive." Jun responded.

"I don't think so. From the things I heard from Brynjolf say about you, I'd say I'm quite correct. Especially now since I've seen you. Were you incarcerated up in High Rock, or Skyrim? Or perhaps somewhere else...?" Cynric kept trying to get an honest answer from her.

"What makes you such an expert on inmates and jails?"

"If I tell you, will you tell me where you were locked up?" The thief offered the fair deal.

"Hmm, I'm not sure if that's a good idea." She reluctantly said.

"Why are you worried we'll kick you out or something? Half of us have been in the slammer. And nothing is below us, well, except murdering our marks. That's still off limits." He smirked.

"How do I know you're not just pulling this out of your ass?" The woman sensibly wondered. These were thieves after all.

"Me? A con-man? No, that would be Brynjolf. I'm more of 'behind the scenes' kind of criminal." The black haired Breton said without shame.

"Alright. You first though," she said cautiously. He nodded and revealed the source of his odd intuition.

"I used to be a jailbreaker. So I've seen many cells, and you my girl, have been stuck in one. Where'd they have you holed up?" Jun fidgeted around for a second, but then leaned into his ear and quietly answered,

"...Cidhna Mine."

"Damn, no joke?" Cynric sounded impressed and horrified at the same time.

"No. Please don't tell anyone though." She said docilely.

"Not my place to tell them. How long were you in for?"

"Much too long."

"Ha, I bet. What were you in for?"

"Rather not say."

"Hmm, alright. You can save that for a later date."

"Or never."

"If that's what you want." Cynric replied making sure to hide his disappointment.

"It is." They then spent a few moments staring at each other until Brynjolf came back and broke the tension.

"Ah, I knew I could count on you. Thanks Cynric. Hopefully you kept the others in line?"

"Yep. Vipir didn't even get the chance to hit on her." The Breton proudly stated.

"Good," Brynjolf smiled, he then turned his attention to Jun, "Lass, Mercer would like to speak to you."

"That doesn't sound good," Jun picked up on his uneasiness.

"Well, he's a, um, he's just difficult to get along with at first. But he'll get better once he gets to know you. Just watch your

tongue. And no shenanigans. Oh, and tell the truth. Do that and you'll be fine." Brynjolf advocated.

"He's your boss, right?"

"Mercer Frey is _the_ boss. And he may or may not have a mudcrab stuck in his pants." Cynric dryly added.

"No. None of that," Brynjolf warned, "We're leaving." She got up but said her good byes to the mysterious man.

"Nice meeting you."

"Likewise." the former jailbreaker nodded. She then followed Brynjolf back into the Cistern.

When they entered, a very annoyed man was standing in the middle of the room. Brynjolf walked up to him and announced their arrival.

"Mercer, this is Jun. The one I want to bring into the Guild." Brynjolf said confidently. The shorter man walked around Jun as he sized her up, and then returned to his original spot.

"So, you are the one who Brynjolf has put all his last hopes and credibility into?" The man asserted in a very rough voice.

"Um, yes?" Jun wasn't exactly sure what 'the boss' was talking about.

"Do I sense doubt? I am not impressed...Tell me. What skills can you contribute to my organization?" Mercer's demeanor made Jun very nervous, she wanted to give him a proper answer as soon as possible. So she blurt out the first things that came to mind.

"I'm good at mining," she revealed, "and I can make some mean potions. I'm also a decent liar which is strange because I'm a terrible gambler. Oh, which brings me back to the whole alchemy thing. I recently lost all my ingredients in a card game, I did get some gold in return but that it a total rip-off...anyway, that's also why I was late today." The older man gave her a blank stare of disbelief.

"Brynjolf, why did you bring this disappointment to me?" The Nord stepped closer and came to her defense by alluding to the conversation they had last night.

"That wasn't our agreement. Remember that talk we had about giving her a fair chance?" Mercer scowled and smoothly continued with his negative remarks,

"My subordinate here forgot that he does not have the authority to let people into the Guild. That would be me. And I have no interest in letting you into my association without proof that you _deserve_ a place. In order to prove your self worthy, I will give you this extremely simple entry level task. Complete it and return to me with the spoils. I shall then reevaluate my already low opinion of you. Do you accept my offer?"

"Sure–"

"You mean 'yes'?" The more proper man corrected.

"Yes." Jun agreed, making a mental note of his mannerisms.

"Very well then. Here is your assignment: Go to Whiterun. Ransack Breezehome–"

"Mercer! You–" Brynjolf protested. The Guild Master shot daggers at him and gave a sharp reply.

"Be quiet. I will deal with you later. As I was saying. Go to Whiterun, ransack Breezehome, and return to me with something interesting. Understand?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Good. Leave now. I need to speak with my 'second in command' in private." Jun quickly gathered up her things and awkwardly left the two men alone to fix their dispute.

* * *

Jun exited the city and went over to the stables, but stopped for a moment to think of how she was supposed to complete her mission. Although she preferred to walk, she figured the Guild Master was not the sort of person to keep waiting. So, she hurried towards the carriage and was immediately greeted by the driver.

"Hey little lady. Need a ride?"

"Yes please. Can you take me to Whiterun?" She asked digging around for her light coin purse.

"For twenty coins I sure can." She paid him, and climbed into the back. There was also a half asleep man dressed in fine clothing with several empty wine bottle near his feet. Jun gave a face of discontent, but figured she could easily ignore him for the rest of the ride. They then set off on the few hour ride to the major capitol.

* * *

A/N: Another title that suits this chapter would be 'Secrets Don't Make Friends'. But who knows, they might work it out... or not.

And like always, thanks to all my readers and my awesome beta.


	5. Meeting the Locals

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the game, but I do claim my storyline and Jun.

* * *

Brynjolf bolted out of the Cistern as soon as Mercer was done lecturing him on 'proper etiquette when your Guild Master is talking to a subordinate lower than yourself'. He was hoping that he could catch Jun and tell her that her assignment was a sham, but became anxious again when he found out he had just missed her. He prayed that she would return with some valuables. But on the other hand, he could finally get rid of the dagger. Brynjolf went back to the Cistern and tasked the special job to the one person he knew he could trust...and who happened to be on their way out of Riften didn't hurt either.

"Why can't I keep it? I promise I won't bring it out when she's around." Rune tried to negotiate with the Nord.

"No. It's not yours, so you can't have it."

"I'm a thief, what do you expect?"

"No. That's final." The older thief stated as he handed over the hot dagger.

"Hey, what did the other guys think about your ingenious plan to lie to the new girl?"

"Um, no one really likes it, well except Mercer. He said it was 'delightfully deceitful and can't wait for it to blow up in your face'." Brynjolf said apprehensively.

"Huh, Mercer complimented you? Do you worry that you may have crossed the line then?" The less experienced thief asked.

"But it's for the benefit of the Guild. Promise. And I'm going to tell her, but first I want her to get immersed our little family. So then it won't even matter, because she'll see it was all worth it." Brynjolf idealized.

"Or she's going to hate all of us, you especially." The Imperial rightly pointed out.

"Tch. You hang out with Cynric too much. Now go to Rorikstead and do your assignment. And when you're done, hide the dagger somewhere, anywhere, I don't care. Just make sure you remember where you put it, because sooner or later, I'll want to get it back." Brynjolf ordered. Rune knew it was no use arguing with the man who sponsored him into the Guild, and left without another word. Brynjolf then started brainstorming a back up plan in case Jun failed.

* * *

Miles away and a few hours later, the sun had just set when the city of Whiterun appeared on the horizon. Jun gave a sigh of relief, she couldn't stand the other carriage passenger for much longer. His jokes were getting worse and worse ever since he woke up.

"No no no! Wait, this one's the best one! A Breton, a High Elf, anda Imperial all walk into a brothel–!"

"Please be quiet. You're giving me a headache" The irritated woman groaned.

"How 'bout the one about the Forsworn and the goat? Eh? That's a good one."

"If you don't shut up, I will cut out your tongue and feed it to a goat." Jun snapped at the infuriating man.

"Whuh? What're ya, a Madman?" The drunk man accused.

"Yes. And if you keep annoying me, I will use your skin and bones to make my armor." She seriously answered, (more or less).

"Driver! Do you hear these verbal attacks?" He gasped fancily dressed man. The driver merely hand waved his complaint.

"The only verbal attacks I hear are the terrible jokes you've been putting out. Shut up and enjoy the ride. Little lady? You can sit up here with me if you'd like." She nodded and started to climb over the seat, but turned to the drunk man,

"Touch my things, and I'll personally kick you off this carriage." Then she sat down next to the driver and struck a conversation.

"Ever been to Whiterun?" She wondered.

"Oh sure plenty of times. You?"

"I've passed by it many times, but I haven't gone into it yet. Tell me a little about it?" The driver smiled and gave her a thorough description on Whiterun, he mentioned the three districts, the temple, Jorrvaskr, and Dragonsreach. When he had finished, they had arrived at the Whiterun stables. Jun thanked the driver, then gathered her items and got off.

She walked a short distance to city walls, and passed through the large city gates. Jun was pleasantly surprised with she saw city of Whiterun for the first time. It was nicer than most of the places she had visited. She figured exploring the city wouldn't hurt anyone.

Jun drifted around the districts worrying about how she was going to pull off this job. She really wanted to do a good job, but Mercer seemed very hard to impress. She was going to ponder this some more, but an extremely loud and annoying priest was behind her spouting off something and waving his hands towards a strange looking shrine. A man then spotted her loitering and came over.

"Hey, buddy, spare a coin for a beggar? I haven't had a good meal in days." The seemingly drunk Redguard grumbled.

"Ah, I know the feeling." Jun empathized as she dug around for her coin purse. "Here you go." She replied as she handed the beggar 5 coins.

"Wow thanks!" The man exclaimed as he unexpectedly hugged her. The woman gasped, and wished she had a nose plug.

"Geez, did you fall into a river of booze? You smell, uh, you are very potent."

"It's not a crime to enjoy a drink...or several." The man replied.

"That's very true. Where's the bar here?" Jun asked stepping back from him.

"There," The man pointed to a large building behind her. "They also have some decent food too." The woman thanked him, and trudged off with hopes of getting a much needed drink. She quickly entered the curiously named establishment, the 'Bannered Mare', and found an empty table in the corner.

Jun then ordered two bottles of wine and quietly mulled her situation over. Although the place was full of random townsfolk enjoying themselves or listening to the bard, they didn't detract much from her brainstorming. Jun was halfway through her second bottle when the local bard came over to her.

"Hello there stranger, come here often?" The bard said with a smirk. Jun glanced at him and decided she had no interest in him trying to sell her a song, and also didn't like the fact he singled her out for whatever he was trying to do.

"No. Now please leave me alone." The woman was quick to shoot him down.

"Ooh, a challenge! What would bring a smile to your face: A song, or a poem?"

"Ugh, no. I don't want you to sing anymore." She held her head in her hands.

"Ah, fortunately for you, I have many skills. And for a feisty woman such as yourself, can I offer you a night alone with me?" The blond haired man said with a wink and a smile.

"If you don't stop bothering me, you'll earn a tussle with me alright. But not the kind you're thinking of." She warned. Too be honest, Jun wasn't a very nice drunk, but adding an annoying Bard to mix didn't help either.

"Me? Ha! I doubt a surly woman like you could take me."

"You're a bard. Of course I can take you." She replied coolly. That comment definitely upset the bard, because he set down his lute in response and started to roll up his sleeves.

"Oh yeah, outlander? Wanna bet?" Jun thought for a second, she probably could use some more money since she didn't even have enough for a room, and not to mention the ride back to Riften. She was about to accept when a huge man broke up their conversation.

"Beat it, Mikael. I already told you you're not supposed to be bothering the travelers." The Nord gruffly said.

"Pfft. Really brute? You let your brother bother them plenty. I mean, look at him." The bard pointed at a man across the room making out with some girl. This didn't phase the heavy armored man at all.

"Yup. He'll get my fist later though. You want the same deal?" The bard quickly turned around, picked his lute and hurried away. Jun didn't blame him. This guy was big, even by Nord standards, and he didn't look very friendly either with the war paint he had on. Regardless of that fact, she showed her gratitude,

"Hey, thanks. He was getting on my nerves."

"All bards annoy me. Especially that one." He said flatly.

"Indeed," She nodded, "You're a local, right?"

"Been here all my life."

"Do you think you could answer some questions for me?" She asked with a hopeful glance.

"My brother is better with explaining things, you'll probably want to talk with him instead." He admitted.

"Oh, I think you'll be fine. You seem like the helpful type anyway." The Nord nodded and sat down with her. Jun smiled, and poured him some of her wine.

"I heard of a house called Breezehome. Where is it?"

"First house on the right, right after the blacksmith. You want to buy it?"

"Yeah. Wait, what? It's not owned?" She replied very shocked.

"Nope. Completely empty."

"You're sure?" Jun was rather confused at this point.

"Yup. My brother once made me stand outside and act as lookout. And after two days of me guarding it, he told me no one lived there." The black haired man reminisced.

"Oh wow. And I thought my brother was a jerk," She commented. "Did you get back at him?" He shrugged, "I trapped him in his own room."

"How'd you manage that?"

"Barricaded the door with his own dresser." The giant man shrugged. Jun couldn't help but laugh, and this warranted a smile from him.

"Oh man. Remind me not to ever make you mad." She said half-jokingly.

"You seem okay for a stranger. I think I'd just let you off with a warning." He replied respectively. They sat together in silence for a while. The large man watched the people in case any problems arose while Jun finished off her wine. She needed to figure out what she was going to do.

Was she still supposed to break into Breezehome? Surely, Mercer would have known the place was empty, or maybe it was all a trick? Maybe she should try stealing something else for consolation. All this thinking was making her head hurt. She dug out her coin purse, but was met with the reminder that all of her coin went to the wine. Jun couldn't help but groan.

"Ugh dammit...Um, hey, I'm heading off. I need to take a nap and clear my head. See you later." She announced her departure to the untroubled man.

"You're not staying here?" The Nord asked as he saw he walking towards the door.

"No. I don't mind sleeping outside anyway."

"Huh, okay. Stay safe then." He said with a nod. Jun gave him a goodbye nod, and exited the noisy inn. She then spent the next half hour wandering the streets of Whiterun for an appropriately flat and slightly hidden spot to sleep. That spot being near a small bush behind the giant Talos statue. Jun laid down and got herself situated, but she hadn't even got the chance to close her eyes when the annoying priest came back from his short break and started his sermon again.

"Talos the Mighty! Talos the unerring! Talos the unassailable! To you we give Praise!" Jun groaned, covered her ears and tried to sleep.

"We are but maggots! Wriiithing in the filth of our _own_ corruption!" He shouted, giving anyone within a hundred feet of him a massive headache. She then held out a magic-charged hand, pointed it at him and released the energy. To her surprise, nothing happened. He was still kneeling in front of the odd looking shrine and hollering at it, "while you have ascended from the dung of mortality, and now walk among the stars!" Jun face-palmed when she realized 'Muffle' does not apply to human mouths, no matter how loud they are. She sat up and yelled at the man in retaliation of him being overwhelmingly annoying.

"Hey! Can you cut that out!? I'm trying sleep here!" The priest jumped at the voice and looked around to see where it came from.

"Who dares interrupt my praising of Talos!?"

"I do. Can you shut up? It's like night time, people are trying to sleep."

"But it is only seven! My love for Talos knows no end!"

"Well, try to be quieter then." She tried to reason.

"Have you found Talos yet!?" He shouted back once he spotted her.

"What're you blind? He's right behind you." The irritated woman replied as she crossed her arms.

"No! I mean, have you found Talos inside of you!?" The man lovingly placed his hands over his heart. Jun made a face and answered,

"Gross. He should at least buy me dinner first..." She mumbled.

"What was that!? I didn't hear you!" The Talos fanatic yelled.

"Can you take your babbles elsewhere?" He looked extremely offended by that.

"Uh! I'm going to have tolerance for your ignorance! But only because you're a beggar!"

"I'm not a beggar. I just don't have any food or money or a place to sleep, you ass." Jun growled.

"Talos embraces all men! Give him your faith, and he will return the favor!"

"Eh, I don't really want to join any more cults. I just want to go to bed."

"Nonsense! I will go grab all my records on him! I memorized each word, so I don't need them anymore! I can help you on your journey to find him! It will be my mission!" The man with no volume control walked off merrily. Those words reminded Jun of her own hopeless mission. She thought out loud to herself,

"Old Gods, give me strength to not murder that man...Oh, and would it be too much to ask for a little help? I mean seriously, what am I supposed to return with? Ugh, send me a sign, anything..." Right then, a bird landed on the shrine and cooed at her. Jun tilted her head, now that she thought of it, that Talos shrine didn't look like the usual ones she has seen before. The woman bit her lip and tried to push back the growing idea that the shrine was, dare she say it, valuable.

"Huh, am I really going to resort to stealing a religious object?" She quietly confirmed with herself. Then a loud thud came from behind her, she glanced behind her to see what it was. The priest had just dropped his huge stack of books all over the ground.

"Oh! Woops! Never fear, these books are quite hardy!" The man yelled as he bent down to pick them up.

"Mephala's mourning, this better be worth it..." She muttered under her breath as she quickly put on her knapsack/bedroll combination and jumped down over the small ledge. She promptly grabbed the heavy shrine. She then cast an invisibility spell upon herself, jumped back over ledge, sprang over the short wall, and ran behind the strange upside-down boat structure before the man noticed.

"HOLY TALOS! NOOOOO!" The priest's cry of horror echoed through the district as she made her way behind the building. Jun quickly sat the stolen item on the table and untied her bedroll from her bag, unrolled it, placed the shrine on it, rolled it back up and reattached the lumpy bedroll to herself.

"Geez, what the oblivion is this thing made out of? Solid Dwemer?" She huffed as she situated herself. The morally ambiguous woman then reduced her visibility and set off on her long journey back to Riften.

* * *

Spells Used: Muffle, Invisibility

A/N: Oh, Heimskr, you're up there with Nazeem. And that's not a good thing...Anyway, thanks for all the reads and reviews. :) See you next week. We'll get to see how much Jun's statue get appraised.


	6. Identity Crisis

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the game, but I do claim my storyline and Jun.

* * *

Jun easily escaped the city of Whiterun without a hitch, and managed to follow the river for a few hours before she was completely burnt out. And judging by the fork in the river, she realized she had made it into a completely different hold. With that knowledge in mind, Jun was able to relax and get ready for bed. She found a suitable place by a nearby fort and set up camp behind it. The tired woman then detached her bed roll, removed the Talos shrine, got her bedding situated, and was out like a light. Jun had gotten several peaceful hours of sleep before the noise of a chattering couple disturbed the her.

"Do you think she's on a pilgrimage?" A male voice wondered.

"Well, duh, she obviously puts Talos above fine clothes and proper living conditions." A woman pointed out.

"Or freedom. It's gutsy to have your statue out in the open like that." The male responded.

"Do you think she'll bless us!? That would be great!" The woman wished loudly. Jun slowly rose up and looked at the couple – They had situated themselves beside her bed and were busy eating and talking amongst themselves. They noticed she had finally awoken, and greeted her with a smile, Jun just scratched her head. On one hand, they didn't seem dangerous, but on the other, it was just plain weird for someone to decide to have a conversation next to a complete stranger. She started to think of a polite way to ask them what the oblivion they were doing. The man seemed to pick up on Jun's confusion and quickly introduced himself,

"Hi! I'm Roderic. And this is my sister, Ruccia." The woman next to him gave a little wave.

"All right. What are you doing here? At my campsite?" Jun replied, trying to sound unbothered.

"Oh, we're on our way to Windhelm and decided to stop for breakfast, and we thought it'd be okay if we sat by you since you're one of us. And we figured we should show our support, even though you're taking a huge risk doing what you're doing." The man ranted.

"What?"

"Your shrine," the woman pointed behind Jun. "We're devout Talos followers too. And can I say that it's an honor to meet a priest?"

"Right. Forgot about that," Jun admitted, "Um, I'm not really priest."

"What are you doing with a shrine, then?" The man asked. Jun didn't want to go into the long story about how she had stolen the shrine or how she wasn't a follower of the Divines, so she decided to back peddle.

"Oh. What I meant is that I'm not, um, what's that word...?"

"Certified?" Ruccia added helpfully.

"Yes, I'm not-I haven't passed any official tests yet. So I'm normal...like you two." Jun struggled to get the last part out without sounding offensive.

"Is that why you aren't wearing the typically priest robes, too?" Roderic inquired.

"Yes. That's exactly why." Jun answered flatly. She was getting anxious. She should be back at the Guild by now, not making small talk with these people and wasting time.

"Hey, I know this is a weird question," the woman started, "But can you bless us?" Her brother nodded in agreement.

"I think I should hit the road instead. I'm need in Riften. To spread Talos' words and what-not." Jun stated as she got up. Both of them rose immediately.

"Please? We'd be forever thankful." Ruccia pleaded.

"My blessing skills aren't good enough for public...consumption?" Jun badly lied.

"We'll pay you." Roderic interjected. Jun went silent for a moment.

"No. You don't need to pay. I'll bless you if you really want it." She reluctantly gave in. Jun couldn't help but feel bad for anyone that started to sound pathetic.

"Great! What do we do!?" The siblings asked, unable to contain their excitement.

"Just stand there." The fake priest ordered, trying to remember any knowledge she had on Talos. They closed their eyes and braced themselves for something magical. Jun shook her head and mumbled to herself,

"Thank the Old Gods that my father isn't seeing this..."

"What?" The woman asked.

"Nothing." Jun definitely didn't want to discuss her father of all people with these strangers. She then cleared her throat and then began her very strange sermon, "Talos, the outlawed Divine who drove out the elves from Skyrim–"

"Actually," Roderic interrupted. "Ysgramor drove them out."

"Yes. But in the name of Talos–Gift me with power so I may pass it on to these...two people who wish to have your blessing but cannot obtain it themselves. And with that said, I dub thee blessed. May it lead you to warm sands. The end." The siblings opened their eyes and looked disappointed.

"I didn't feel anything." Ruccia pouted.

"Yeah, me neither," Roderic added, "Are you sure you were praying to the right Divine?"

"It's a spiritual-You know what? I'll just do it myself." Jun grumbled, "This is a very calming process. Don't be alarmed if you can't move or speak. That's just your body um, completely connecting itself with nature." The siblings grinned at the sound of that, and closed their eyes again. Next, Jun cast temporary calming spells upon both of them. She then quickly gathered her things, and got out of sight before they returned to normal.

The next couple hours of her journey were far more normal. Jun was able to pick some new alchemy ingredients and even came across some silver veins amidst all the trees. And after a few more moments of walking, she came across the small settlement of Shor's Stone. Jun was relieved that she was making good time, since she wasn't exactly sure how long Mercer expected her to be gone. She always figured being earlier was _a lot_ better than being late, but with him, she wasn't sure either was good. So Jun decided she shouldn't stop here, and just continue on her way down to Riften. Although, that city had its downsides and was practically a dump, Jun was getting accustomed to the townsfolk and the businesses. And in Jun's mind, it wasn't as bad as Windhelm or the Reach. As the time passed and she got closer to her destination, she began to stress out that her item wasn't good enough and what was going to happen. The woman was so engrossed in her worrying that she didn't even notice the two bandits blocking the road in front of her.

"Give us all your money and valuables and nobody gets hurt." The tallest one demanded.

"I don't have any money." Jun admitted, trying to think of a way to get out of this. She's never been fond of bandits, but she tries to give everyone a fair chance, for their sake.

"How about your knapsack?" The smaller bandit asked.

"Are any of you alchemists?" She asked.

"No." The small one replied.

"Then you can't utilize what I have, which means it'd go to waste. So, I have no interest in giving it to you." Jun reasoned as she stood her ground.

"Fine. I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way." The bigger one intimidated as he stepped closer.

"Isn't it dishonorable to attack an unarmed person?" The woman declared as she crossed her arms, hoping that these bandits had at least one bit of moral fiber in them.

"What do you call that pickax, huh?" The large one pointed out.

"It's a tool. I'm not carrying any kind of real weapon." Jun reconfirmed.

"Are you a complete idiot? Why aren't you carrying one?" The small bandit countered.

"Due to events in my past life, I have decided to try out pacifism. As a way to counter-act the very poor luck I have had all my life..." She decided to string them along so she had time to size them up and figure who to take out first, "So, I'd like it if you didn't ruin it for me." The largest bandit seemed unfazed by her story and promptly quipped,

"Well, the way I see it is: why should we back down when we obviously have the high ground?" The woman seemed stumped, and realized she had failed at convincing these thugs to leave.

The bandits stepped forward and Jun took off into the surrounding woods. As she was weaving around trees and evading her pursuers, the excellent idea of making it to Riften popped into her head. She figured that would effectively stop them, or if not she could at least find someone to help. Jun turned on a dime and headed towards civilization.

Luckily, the bandits weren't as fast or nimble as her. They struggled to keep her in their line of sight. After a few extraordinarily long minutes of running, the rundown city finally came into view, but that moment of relief was cut short by an arrow whizzing past her. The woman immediately slowed down and ducked. She knew that she was no match for an archer. Jun looked around the trees for the hidden enemy but didn't see anyone except the bandits getting closer. Another arrow flew past her which caused her to shout in defeat,

"Hey assholes! What part of unarmed don't you understand!?" She couldn't believe they were actually shooting at an unresisting target. Talk about dishonorable.

"Just for your information, I wasn't aiming for you." A male voice responded. Jun watched as a hooded leather-clad man jumped down from a tree. She did recognize him from the Flagon, but couldn't recall his name. The man then aimed his bow at the incoming bandits and gave them one last warning,

"I'd turn around if I were you." The hoodlums weren't impressed and continued to approach them, so the man casually shoot an arrow at the tallest thug. It hit him square in the shoulder. "Next one's going into your head," the thief proclaimed as he started to reload his bow. That finally scared some sense into the two thugs, and made them high tail it back to where they came from. The man gave a content grunt and returned his bow into it's holster. Jun took this opportunity to catch her breath, and express her gratitude,

"Thanks, um..."

"Cynric." The man wasn't fazed by the need to reintroduce himself.

"Yes. Thank you. How did you know I was in trouble?"

"I noticed that you were running around in a panic and being chased by angry men. And I just assumed that you weren't involved in a game of extreme tag." He explained with a smirk.

"No way. I prefer hide-and-go-seek anyway," she smiled, "Can I ask what were you doing out here?"

"Hunting." He gestured towards the filled burlap sack on his back.

"Oh. That's nice...Thanks again for saving me. I should get back to the Guild now." Jun commented, before started back towards the city.

"Do you want to grab a bite to eat?" The man asked, following her.

"Um, I don't have any money."

"I asked, I'll pay." Cynric plainly responded. The woman rejected his offer,

"Oh. I can't do that I'd feel bad."

"That might be true. But I'd feel worse if I let you starve. Come on. It's not a big deal." She continued to protest,

"I feel weird when people spend money on me, especially since I can't pay you back."

"Fine. I'll make you something then." The idea of a home-cooked meal sounded very appealing to her, especially since she couldn't remember the last time she ate.

"Really? That's nice of you." She commented.

"It's no big deal." The thief shrugged off. "We can celebrate your new membership too."

"What makes you so sure that I'm in?" Jun wondered why he was so certain of her unofficial acceptance.

"Once Bryn gets his sights on someone, they're as good as in. It's getting them to stay is the problem."

"What if I don't get in?"

"Well then, you'll eat supper, and be on your way. Makes no difference to me." Her savior shrugged.

"I can't leave yet. I have a deal." She reminded him.

"So you're not joining us for the fame or money?" He gave a small smile. Jun shook her head. Cynric thought was intriguing, he had never met someone who wasn't interested in those two things. He decided to ask another question, "Do you even want to be a thief?"

"No. Not really."

"Huh, what do you want to be then?"

"I'm not quite sure..." Jun admitted. Both of her parents had separate plans for her, but neither of those ideas appealed to her. They were too demanding and extreme, and she had no desire to do them. "I'd like to travel though, maybe go to Cyrodiil. I'll probably do that once I'm done here."

Cynric only gave her a nod. He was disappointed that he couldn't reveal what he knew. He just hoped Brynjolf's instincts were correct, and that it would all be worth it in the end.

Jun and Cynric quietly entered Riften. They gave Brynjolf a nod at the market stall before proceeding into the Thieves' Guild headquarters. They were greeted by a few familiar thieves as they entered the Cistern. Cynric brought her to his impatient boss and then left to start cooking. Jun waited nervously in front of the Guild Master. She thought it would be best to wait for him to address her. Once he was done with the page he was working on, Mercer looked up at her and gave his signature scowl. Jun wasn't sure if she had irritated him, or if something else had caused it.

"Show me what you have." He demanded in his monotone voice. The woman sat down her things, retrieved the shrine, and placed it on his desk. He took a quick look at the statue and expressed his opinion,

"Did you actually steal some individual's religious artifact?"

"Yes." Jun confirmed. A faint smirk appeared on Mercer's face, which positively creeped her out.

"Under normal circumstances, your lack of morality would concern me," the head thief slowly started. "However, since I run an organization of morally ambiguous people, this new insight is both reassuring and bothersome. I, personally, would rather tell you the that the shrine is worth nothing, thus ending our forced partnership. But after a long conversation with Brynjolf on why I intended on firing you the moment you got back, he revealed a rather important piece of information about you. Any guess on what it was?" Jun noted that this man seemed to linger on every word and make them seem heavier than they really were. She was about to ponder this more, but an angry address brought her out of her thoughts.

"Juniper. I asked you a question. And I expect you to give me an answer in a proper amount of time." He lectured.

"Um, I'm don't really know why he likes me." Jun admitted.

"That is not comforting." He replied with a frown. "My associate said you possess some magic-based skills and know some valuable spells. Invisibility, in particular. Provide a demonstration now." Jun quickly cast it the spell upon herself and waited awkwardly until it wore off.

"I see why this would impress him. I, on the other hand, do not care. The only thing that matters is if you can bring in the profits effectively. So, before I give you a chance to redeem yourself, here is the ultimate question: Do you want to be a thief?"

"...Yes." Jun reluctantly answered. She figured if she didn't give him the answer he wanted, he would kick her out of the Guild. And that meant she'd never get her knife back.

"Then it is set. Brynjolf is convinced that he requires your assistance with stall duty. Follow his instructions down to the last syllable. Preform well and I shall grant you the lowest rank possible in my Guild. Understand?" Jun nodded.

"You may go now. I am done with you." He dismissed her and returned to his paperwork.

Jun hastily picked up her things and left. She then found Cynric watching over a huge pot of stew. The rest of the thieves were sitting at a nearby table, and he gestured for her to join them. She obliged, and quietly waited for him to finish. Jun's mind was full of questions. What had she gotten herself into? What did Brynjolf have in store for her? And more importantly, how was she going to get herself out of this mess?

* * *

Spells Used: Pacify, Invisibility

A/N: Ah, so we're finally starting to get somewhere. Where you may ask? Well, tune in next week to see what Bryn's ingenious plan is. :) Thanks to all my readers, and double thanks to my beta, since I forgot to thank them last week.


	7. Disappearing Morals

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the game, but I do claim my storyline and Jun.

* * *

The evening lazily rolled on by, the rest of the thieves returned to the Cistern and joined Cynric and Jun for supper. Although, the meal was delicious, she didn't eat much. Mainly because she was used to not eating very often, or eating a lot while in the mine. Afterward, she patiently waited for Brynjolf to return from stall duty. She didn't mind though, the guys were willing to socialize with her until that happened. When the merchant's shift finally ended, he found his way back home, ate his supper and spent a couple minutes catching up with his family, then he went back to work. He went over to his trunk to retrieve something, and pulled Jun off to the side to show her.

"Alright lass, here's my ingenious new product – an affordable invisibility potion." Brynjolf proudly revealed a clear bottle with some ominous liquid inside and handed it to Jun. "I call it Perishing Philter." She uncorked the bottle, took a whiff, and made a disgusted face.

"Please tell me this is a joke."

"Come again, lass?" The man was shocked that she wasn't on board with him.

"Brynjolf, this is spoiled milk. The only thing that it's going to do is the drinker throw up!" Jun continued to tear apart the con man's scheme.

"First, let me explain the whole situation to you," Brynjolf needed to convince her to help him, "So, tomorrow I will attempt to sell them, but I am anticipating that my customers will be hard to convince without a demonstration. That's where you come in. You will be part of the crowd, and I'll call on you. You will then turn yourself invisible and return here. And I'll be left to deal with the dumbstruck crowd."

"You don't need me to stay?"

"Er, no. It would be best if our alliance was not made public." The Nord decided that was more pleasant to say than the truth of Mercer not wanting the Guild to be associated with her.

"Okay that makes sense...wait, is this the plan you were talking about when we first met?" Jun wondered how long Brynjolf's plan had been going on for.

"No. That's a far better plan on a much larger scale," the older man explained, "And it's still in the development stage, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, these potions are what will hold us over until that happens. I already ran it by Mercer and he said he loved it." Jun raised her eyebrow. She hadn't known the Guildmaster for very long but even that statement seemed out of place to her.

"Really." She said drily, knowing that it was a lie. The man gave an awkward smile.

"Uh, I might be paraphrasing a little, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I need your help in order for this plan to work, and he has agreed to let you stay so that you can accomplish that." Brynjolf proceeded to recruit his unwilling assistant.

"But these aren't real. You're totally lying to these people."

"Jun, are you familiar with the phrase, 'results may vary'?" The con man responded.

"Why can't I just whip up some real invisibility potions instead, and maybe water them down? Then we technically wouldn't be lying."

"You can do that? Why didn't you tell me?" Brynjolf was surprised that she was tearing apart his 'ingenious' plan so quickly.

"Yeah, my mother made me learn how to brew invisibility potions before she taught me the spell. Sort of cruel if you ask me, then again, that wasn't really out of the ordinary for her... But back to what I was saying, I didn't tell you because you didn't ask." The amateur alchemist explained.

"Seems like more trouble than it's worth." The opportunistic thief said. Jun waved off that statement,

"Not at all. And it's my problem, not yours." Brynjolf thought for a second and realized that he had no real reason to object. And who knew, maybe he'd be able to sell all of his potions for once.

"You really want to do this?" He asked, still wondering why she couldn't just rip off the towns folk. Jun nodded and the man sighed.

"Fine. But I still want you in the crowd... So, what ingredients do you need?"

"Chaurus Eggs, Luna Moth Wings, or Nirnroots. Any two of them will work, but the quantity depends on how many you want to make." Jun replied warmly. She was happy that he was taking her ideas seriously. Typically, her ideas and opinions were ignored.

"How far can you dilute one bottle?"

"Hmm, four-ish times? That would be a good amount. The drinker should get a few seconds of invisibility before turning back to normal." The woman reckoned.

"Okay. I'm off to check the shops then." Brynjolf said as he stood up.

"Aren't they closed?" She pointed out.

"That's the best time to check, lass," he smiled, "You stay here, and maybe get those bottles ready for your potion? I'll be back within the hour." Brynjolf then promptly left to gather all the necessary materials.

Once again, Jun was left to wait for that man to return. But this time she kept herself occupied by dumping the milk out from all the bottles, and giving them a quick wash in the Cistern's water. Brynjolf took longer than what he originally stated, he had to visit several shops and houses to 'find' enough ingredients to make five potions. It was a good start though. Jun then spent the rest of the night preparing the ingredients and brewing the invisibility potions. That was the easy part, diluting it and dividing into the numerous bottles was the exact opposite. Jun was so exhausted once her job was finished, she set up her bed in front of the alchemy station, and passed out. Hopefully without any disruptions this time.

* * *

Rune watched Brynjolf as he carefully packed the last potions into a crate, but the younger thief couldn't contain his curiosity any longer,

"How much are you going to ask for them?"

"Ssh," Brynjolf shushed his friend, "Let's take this somewhere else. I don't want to bother her." The Nord walked over to the table before continuing their conversation.

"I want to be competitive but sound fair, so I figure seventy-five a pop should be good." He responded as he set down the crate.

"Sounds good. How long do they turn you?"

"Here, have one on the house." He replied as he handed over a bottle. Rune became very excited and quickly downed the contents. He was very disappointed when his cloak wore off within a few seconds.

"Aw. What a rip off." Rune pouted, and a devilish smile appeared on Brynjolf face.

"That's the idea lad." The Nord reminded. The younger thief frowned, he was expecting something more magical.

"Hmm, so the new girl is really going for this?"

"She has a name you know. Jun's the one who came up with the idea."

"Really?" Rune was very surprised, he had no idea the new girl could be this devious.

"Well, sort of. I thought of the whole invisibility potion scam, and she actually wanted to make some weak potions instead. And I couldn't really say no." The older thief admitted.

"Huh, why is she making it so complicated?" The younger man wondered. Rune always trusted Brynjolf to have the best schemes, and would never go against any of his plans.

"I think it's nice that she improved my plan. We might even get some returning customers for once." The red headed Nord said optimistically.

"Mmhmm. So...Have you told her yet?" Rune asked. That question definitely bothered his mentor. Brynjolf had to think of a proper, yet polite response.

"No. It's a sensitive matter, and timing needs to be right...But I don't see that happening anytime soon. So, I'd like it if you stopped bugging me about that. Okay?"

"Yeah. But I think the sooner you tell her, the better. It'd be like ripping off a bandage, you know." Rune advised. Brynjolf sighed when he heard that comment again,

"Lad, not everything Cynric says is true. And I think you should take his opinion into account, but you shouldn't let it take over your own. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Sure. I'll try that too." Rune replied honestly. Brynjolf figured that was good enough, and said his good-byes,

"All right, I need to start setting up for the day. Wake Jun up in an hour, she'll know what to do. See you later."

* * *

An hour and several minutes later, Jun wandered into the town center where all the merchants were. She browsed around the other stalls waiting for Brynjolf to start his ploy. She looked over her shoulder to see if he was ready, he gave her a wink and cleared his throat. The con-man then put on a very rambunctious voice to gather the attention of the uninterested townsfolk,

"To the people of Riften, may I have your attention please!? I have a wonderful new product that is sure to knock you off your feet! Gather 'round! It would be a shame if any of you missed out on my amazing new deal!" The residents reluctantly shuffled over to Brynjolf's stall to see what he was yammering about this time. Jun slowly followed them, keeping toward the back. As soon everyone was huddled together, the charming man continued to try and win them over.

"Great! My brand-new potion is guaranteed to bring excitement to your lives!" That line drew a lot of suspicion within the crowd, Brynjolf had used the same exact line yesterday; and it had less than stellar effects. A certain Dunmer called the shady merchant out on his apparent mistake,

"You said that about the Butterfly Extracts too. You said they'd help increase our memory, but they turned out to be sugar water." Several people in the crowd nodded to this accusation. They were already skeptical of Brynjolf, and he hadn't even introduced his latest product yet. The Nord smiled and added his rebuttal,

"I am sorry that my elixir did not provide the same results as it did for me, and many other customers. My advice is that you needed to have a different outlook on what results you intended to see. Because you need the mental desire to want to change, in order to do so. If you don't have that, it won't work as effectively." Half the crowd seemed lost at that 'explanation'. So Brynjolf refocused his speech,

"But nevertheless, I have retired that product in favor for... this!" He held up a small bottle. "Ladies and gentlemen, what you are viewing is a vile full of a surreal liquid called 'Perishing Philter'. A family-friendly and very affordable invisibility potion. What it lacks in originality, it makes up in versatility. Useful in countless situations: combat, evasion, entertainment, whatever strikes your fancy. The power of invisibility can be yours for only seventy-five Septims! You won't find a better price in all of Skyrim! So buy now, because my stock is limited!" Brynjolf finished with one of his charming grins, but the crowd seem unimpressed. Jun shuffled side to side as she saw none of the locals buying into his scheme, that meant she definitely would be called upon. She began to worry that she might be in over her head. Not even hanging out with her father could make her this nervous. She writhed her hands, and the thief moved onto his next gambit,

"I believe a demonstration would be quintessential in conveying the true potential of my product. I'm very confident that you will see it as well. Are there any volunteers who would like to be the first to try out my excellent potable?" No one raised their hand seeing as they weren't interested in being this man's guinea pig. Brynjolf's spirits were not dampened, and he took it upon himself to pick out a suitable assistant,

"You there, in the back. You seem like you would like to get away. How 'bout you try one of my awesome potions, free of charge?" He gestured to Jun. She wasn't sure if she should act very willingly or reluctantly, so she just said,

"Okay." The anxious woman made her way through the crowd, and up to the familiar man. He gave her a warm smile and handed over the bottle.

"You have no need to worry, miss. You're in safe hands, and you may drink it when you're ready." Brynjolf gently coaxed her on. Jun looked out at the anticipating crowd, and back down at the small bottle in her hand. It seemed to be getting heavier with each growing second. She uncorked the potion and swallowed the contents in one fluid motion. The woman then cast an invisibility spell upon herself and ran off. She didn't need to see the crowd's reaction, she just wanted to get out of there.

Once Jun was down in the Cistern again, she felt much better. And after a few minutes of thinking things over, she realized that helping Brynjolf wasn't as bad as she was making it out to be. However, that did bring up another concern – Jun wasn't entirely sure on how she felt about him. He had been nothing but friendly towards her and was going to help find her dagger, so she felt somewhat obligated to like him. But the same man wasn't bothered by the idea of ripping off the locals, and that made Jun suspicious. The more she dealt with Brynjolf, the more she felt like he was hiding something. The woman was anxious to know if her presumption was correct or not. She knew that would take time, time she didn't exactly have.

* * *

Spells Used: Invisibility

A/N: Brynjolf does what he does best, and that's lie to people. We'll see how well that turns out... So, thanks to all my readers and my beta, and for the kind reviews. See you all next week when we see the aftermath of the con-man and the shill's shenanigans.


	8. Partial Penalty

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the game, but I do claim my storyline and Jun.

* * *

It had only been a few hours into Brynjolf's shift when he unexpectedly returned to the Cistern and started to yell his head off.

"Lass!? Where are you!? We need to talk! I have great news!" The overly-excited man hollered as he entered the Thieves' Guild Headquarters. A fellow member narrowed her eyes and gave him a less than pleasant greeting,

"What do you want Bryn? I need to go soon, so make it quick." Brynjolf turned around and tried his best to not be surprised,

"Oh, Sapphire, hello. Um, you're looking nice today." The woman crossed her arms, as she was not amused at his flimsy attempt to flirt.

"Get serious. What's this so-called good news you're screeching about?"

"Erm, I sold all my potions." She shook her head at this 'achievement'.

"I keep telling everyone you're not losing your touch, but then you go on and do something like this..." Sapphire rolled her eyes and left the man with dampened spirits. Brynjolf took just a second to get back to his previous state of mind, and went to find the woman he was looking for. He started to walk over to the Flagon, but was stopped by a very irritated Guild Master.

"Where do you think you are going?"

"I'm looking for Jun. You haven't seen her, have you?" Brynjolf replied. Mercer's frown deepened when he heard the name.

"I grew tired of her waiting around here, doing nothing. I sent her to the Flagon." The man in charge explained, "But you and I need to have a talk about several things. First, we are going to talk about the necessity of volume control, then I would like to know why you are back so early, and lastly, we will come to a final decision on what to do about the girl. So, clear your schedule, because you are going to be here a while."

* * *

Down at the Ragged Flagon, Delvin and Jun were taking advantage of their free time to get more acquainted with each other. He had already given her a better description of all the thieves, and was now convincing the woman that the Guild was cursed.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Jun began to think out loud, "You guys used to be really successful and whatnot, but then, like overnight, everything went to oblivion. And you think it's because of a curse?"

"Yeah." The superstitious man confirmed.

"Makes sense to me." She agreed with his logic.

"Finally!" Delvin gave a shout of relief, "Everyone here says I'm crazy for thinking that!"

"No way. Back when I was a kid, my parents always used to tell me that there were things bigger than us people. Like for instance, Daedric Princes. You don't want to make them mad."

"Huh, well I don't know too much 'bout that, but there's definitely something beyond you and me."

"We'll at least we know what's up." Jun shrugged. The man smiled,

"Ah, good. I knew I could count on a fellow Bret."

"Well, legally I'm not one, but I was raised like a Breton, if that's any correlation."

"Huh, I thought you seemed a bit kinda lanky for one, no offense." He added.

"Yeah, I got it from my mom, she was an Imperial."

"Huh, so what does that make you?" The man asked scratching his head. She shrugged,

"A short Imperial, or a tall Breton."

"And here I thought you couldn't get any weirder–" Delvin was cut short by a cry that sent Jun a mile up from her seat.

"Lass! I have big news!" Brynjolf shouted as he entered the bar. The woman turned around.

"Did you find my knife?" She inquired.

"Er, no. I'm still working on that," he lied, and quickly moved onto a new topic, "But here's some better news. We made over one-thousand coins, within the hour! I've never had anything that popular!"

"You've never had anything that actually worked before." Delvin pointed out. Jun agreed with her new friend,

"Funny what a little legitimacy can do to your business." Brynjolf sat down with them and continued down his list,

"Yes, it also helps you further your career as well. You're almost one of us, Jun. You're _this_ close." He gestured with his fingers. That comment came as a surprise to Delvin.

"Really? Good old Mercer isn't gonna make you jump through any more hoops?" The Breton directed towards Jun.

"I hope he doesn't," The woman sounded relieved, "So what did you manage to get me into this time?" After one of her talks with Delvin, she had become more savvy on Brynjolf's personality. She knew that in order to get her out of trouble, he would have to put her into another problematic position. And she was proven right, when the con man revealed his latest deal,

"It's really not that bad, lass. He just needs to know that you can be useful on normal jobs as well. He says alchemists should stay in Apothecary shops, but I convinced him that you would be more than willing to deal with a problem client. So, I'm sending you up to deal with her."

"Shouldn't I help you with stall duty?" Jun wondered.

"Er no. You're being replaced via Mercer's request."

"Why? He was the one who asked me to help you in the first place." The woman would much rather brew potions, than become more thievish. Brynjolf reluctantly gave her an explanation,

"He said that you were supposed to follow my plan closely, and that didn't include you altering it. I couldn't care less, I thought it was a great plan and told him that today's profits wouldn't have been possible without your suggestion. Regardless of that, he's annoyed that you went against his direct orders, so he's disciplining you. I wouldn't worry though, it's a light punishment. All you have to do is teach your replacement how to make the potions, then you can be on your way to Markarth–"

"What?! No! Brynjolf, you never said anything about having to go there!" Came Jun's sudden outburst. The two men stared, that was the first time she ever raised her voice.

"Jun, it should be a quick and easy job. There's nothing to worry about." Brynjolf comforted. Delvin also joined in but didn't help her feel at ease,

"Well, except the Forsworn. Nasty lot, they are. Just get within the city walls and you'll be fine." The woman shook her head,

"They're the least of my problems, besides they're nothing to worry about; and I'm surprised they haven't killed each other off. Oh, and being inside that jail cell of a city isn't comforting." The Breton man tried a different approach this time,

"Nah, it's not that bad. Morthal's far worse." The woman regained her normally calm exterior before trying to reason with them.

"It's not just Markarth that's the problem. It's the whole hold. The Reach is the worst place in Skyrim. It's full of idiots and assholes, and I have no place with them." Jun explained. Brynjolf wondered if something bad happened to her there, but he figured he could find that out later. Right now, he needed to convince her to do this little job.

"I know it might be bad, but you really need to do this," Brynjolf encouraged, "Once you complete it, you'll be in. Then Delvin and I can be more lenient with your job assignments."

"You guys handle the those?" She asked.

"For the most part, yes." The redhead responded, he knew it would be best to not mention the exceptions.

"So, there's no way to talk him out of this?" She of course was referring to the Guild Master.

"No. Mercer is very strong-willed. It takes a lot of poking and prodding to get him to even consider changing his mind."

Jun furrowed her brows. She was very displeased, but there wasn't anything she could do about it, except try to make it easier on herself.

"Well, if you're sending me to the Reach, you better get me really drunk and tie me to the carriage so I don't escape." Delvin made a skeptical face, but Brynjolf continued to be supportive.

"I'll see what I can do." The Nord said. Jun rearranged herself in the seat, and refocused on the next step in her schedule.

"So, who did you find to replace me? Do they at least know how to brew a health potion, or am I starting from scratch with this one?"

"You'll be training Thrynn, and he's proven to be more than decent when it comes to our medical needs," Brynjolf informed, "Actually, he's the one who fixed you up that night we found you."

"Which one is that again?" Jun tried to put a face to the name.

"He's the big blond guy."

"That one?" She asked, pointing to bouncer. If her memory served her right, he was the "dumb mean one".

"Oh, no. I meant the nice one." The Nord corrected. Delvin couldn't help but add his own observation,

"Ha. Thrynn _is_ the nicer one, ain't he? That's odd because he used to be a bandit. Ironic right?" Jun stayed silent because she was never fully about what could be considered ironic or not. That didn't matter though, their conversation was interrupted by the loud slam of a door. A blonde woman trudged past them and plopped herself down at an empty table. She then took a moment to glare at all three of them before she spoke up.

"Brynjolf. You better not have gotten a new girl. Because I was only gone for a week and a half." The tone was menacing, and it made the Nord she was addressing to wish that he was far away from her. Delvin knew that it would be best to leave the two alone while they hashed out their differences out, so he excused himself and Jun from the room,

"Well, I see you two got some catching up to do. Come on Jun, let's go find that bandit of yours." The older thief got up and guided the woman into the Cistern. When they walked past the alchemy lab, and Jun noticed that there were several small pouches sitting on top of the station's workspace now. She stopped to think, she didn't remember those being there this morning, so she asked someone that was more in the know of things than herself.

"Delvin, do you know what those are?" Jun asked, pointing at the station. He nodded,

"Ah, they're probably your ingredients. Last night, Bryn asked some of his minions to do some shopping for you. He figured the potions would be a hit, and that you'd need more supplies. I think he was right." They proceeded to an empty table and waited for the other thief to come back from his errand. Fortunately, that only took a few minutes. Jun and Delvin looked over to the ladder entrance as they heard the loud grating noise start above them. Thrynn made his way down the ladder and strolled over to where they were seated. He then pulled out a small satchel and presented it to Jun,

"Here you go. Seven Chaurus eggs. Hope you put them to good use. They were tricky to get a hold of." He reported. She smiled and informed him of his new duty,

"Thanks. But, they're yours now. You're replacing me as Brynjolf's assistant." The man sighed,

"I need to stop leaving, because each time I come back, his plans have changed about twenty different times." Delvin smiled at his brother in crime,

"I agree with you, mate. But it's kinda amusing to watch Bryn undermine all of Mercer's attempts to get rid of the poor girl. I think the last time I saw him like this, was when he was sponsoring Rune."

"Which one is that?" Jun asked. Keeping up with all these names had proven to be a difficult chore.

"He's the last recruit to stay with us," Delvin answered, "Well, besides you, if you make it. But that's not gonna happen unless you get started on your list of things to do. So I'll leave you guys alone, so you can talk about your secret Alchemist ways. Ta-ta." The Breton then left to converse with the other guild members. Thrynn and Jun got up as well, walked over to the alchemy lab, and started to organize their work space. They separated the ingredients into piles and then counted the total number of sets it would be able to make. They were almost ready to start, but first Jun needed to be sure that he knew what he was doing. She'd feel bad if this guy accidentally set himself on fire or worse.

"So, you know the basics of brewing, right? Like the importance of crushing everything into the same consistency?" Jun tested.

"Yep." Thrynn learned basic Alchemy a long time ago, but he agreed to make things easier.

"Mmhmm. The recipe is really easy. You just need two different components, from any of these piles," She carefully instructed, "Grind them up, heat it, and uh, alchemize it. You should yield about seven base potions, which need to be diluted four times each." He nodded,

"Sounds manageable. Thanks." He replied as he placed some ingredients into a mortar.

"No problem. I don't think I've worked with someone as easygoing as you. That's nice for a change." The woman admitted.

"I just do what I'm told. Besides, I figure I'd make your punishment as painless as possible." She wasn't sure how to reply to that comment, so she awkwardly changed the subject,

"Yes, um, so, you were a bandit? Once?" She stammered.

"You gotta problem with that?"

"No. Just curious."

"Good, I don't need another Sapphire around here." He said, continuing his work.

"Hmm? What does that mean?" Jun wasn't sure if he was referring to a person or object.

"She's one of us. And she's got a real bad grudge against bandits, even ex-bandits like myself." Thrynn stated.

"To each his own, I guess," she shrugged. Jun really didn't mind his past, but she couldn't help wonder how he escaped that life. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, how were you able to get out? Were you just able to quit and leave?" She always assumed that affiliation was a permanent one.

"Sounds like you want out of something." The man observed. Jun didn't give him an answer, so he continued talking, "After a rather nasty dispute between me and the clan leader, I just left. And I haven't looked back since. Simple as that. If you want out, you shouldn't let anything stop you." The thief replied nonchalantly. The strange woman found that answer reassuring, and began to apply it to her own situation. She spent the next several minutes quietly thinking to herself and supervising Thrynn until Delvin rejoined them. He came over to share some words of advice,

"Hey Jun, Mercer's getting cranky with you standing around again. I think you oughta go wait in the city."

"Can't I just go back to the bar? I need a drink anyway," She pointed out, "Oh, and I never got the job details either." The older thief shook his head,

"Nah. Vex isn't in the mood for newbies. Why don't you go up the Bee and Barb upstairs? I'll send Bryn after you once he's done."

"All right." Jun trusted that this high ranking man knew what was best for her. She said her goodbyes to the men, gathered her personal effects, and exited the Cistern.

She then found her way to the local inn and got herself a seat at an empty table. There, she was able to mull over the whole 'going to Markarth' situation, and how she was going to deal with it. Knowing her luck, it wasn't going to be a smooth visit.

* * *

A/N: So, what did we learn today? Listen to Mercer's instructions no matter how bad the plan is, or else he'll saddle you with unpleasant tasks. Hopefully, Jun remembers that for future reference. But from what we've seen so far, her memory seems a little wonky... With that in mind, remember to come back next Monday where we'll see why Jun is so resistant to going up to Markarth. And, like always and forever, thanks to my beta and anyone who reads this. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy that there are a handful of people keeping up with it. :)


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